Type-writing machine.



J. C. MGLAUGHLIN. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

/ APPLICATION FILED FEB.18, 1910.

1,062,569. Patented May 20, 1913.

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UNITED STATES JOHN C. McLAUGI-ILIN, OF JERSEY CITY,

PATENT OFFICE.

NEW JERSEY, ASSIG-NOR T0 U 'NDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y.,A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1913.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. MCLAUGH- LIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type- Writing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for guiding and feeding paper aroundthe cylindrical platens of typewriting machines, and particularly tofeeding mechanisms which employ forward and rear rolls, as for instancein the well known Underwood typewriting machine.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to assure properaction of the feed rolls under all usual conditions, and par ticularlyto secure even feed of the paper; and to accomplish these results by theemployment of a simplified mechanism.

In carrying out my invention I mount both forward and rear rolls upon asingle frame which itself is swiveled upon the platen frame along a linebetween said forward and rear rolls; and the swivel shaft of said frameis pressed toward the platen by suitable spring devices. This insuresthat both the forward and rear rolls shall run truly upon the platen andfeed the paper accurately. The frame is preferably of such constructionas to admit of its yielding at any of.its four corners while thpremaining three corners remain in normal positions, whereby a thick cardor pack of sheets may be carried around the platen near one end of thelatter without throwing the rolls off the other end of the platen.

The spring mechanism comprises two springs, one to bear against each endof the swiveled roll frame, and suitable devices are provided forregulating the tension of each spring.

The structure is preferably constructed in such a manner that it iseasily removed from the platen frame.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of theplatenvframe of an Underwood typewriting machine, equipped with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the parts in normalposition. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the rolls and deflector castoff from the platen. Fig. A is an enlarged detail bottom plan View ofone end of the platen frame.

A platen 1 has an axle 2'by which it is ournaled 1n the ends 3 of aplaten frame. Rigidly connecting said ends is a tie rod 5. Said ends arealso connected by a rigid paper shalf 4, inclining downwardly andforwardly toward the platen. The lower portion 4 of the paper shelf maybe bent slightly backwardly, forming a ridge 4 across the paper shelfwhich serves as a bearing for the sheet, which bends backwardly as it isdropped into the throat between the paper shelf and platen, so as tothrow the leading edge of the sheet forwardly toward the platen directlyinto the bite between the usual rear feed rolls 6 and the-platen.

The sheets are gripped between the platen and the rear feed rolls 6,which are mounted on a shaft 7, the latter journaled in rear- Warcllyextending arms 8, 8 which are swiveled by means of a shaft 9 upon a pairof rock arms 14, the latter journaled loosely on the tie-rod 5, topermit movement of one arm independently of the other. 1

The forward rolls 10, to which the sheets are fed by the rear rolls 6,are carried by a shaft 11, the latter journaled in the outer ends ofarms12, 12*, projecting forwardly from the shaft 9, and preferably integralwith the arms 8, 8 which together with the arms 12, 12 form pressuredistributing levers, each pivoted about midway. of its length.

The shafts 7 and 11 form the sides of a frame, whose ends are eachformed by a lever 8, 12.; the swiveling shaft 9 extending parallel withand about midway between the two roll-carrying .shafts. This frame ispreferably. rendered flexible byloosely nioiinting the shafts-7 and 11upon the levers, thereby forming a loosely -jointed frame, theleversalso being loose on the shaft 9 so that one end or the other of eitherroll-carrying shaft can rock slightly away from the platen to permit therolls to ac commodate themselves to inequalities in the thickness of thepaper at difierent portions of the'platen.

- The rolls are pressed against the platen by springs 13, coiled aroundthe tie rod 5, one at each end of said rod, there being rolls. Thepressure of these springs is divided between the front and rearroll-carrying shafts 7 and 11, by reason of the levers 8, 12 beingjournaled loosely between their ends and swiveled on the rock arms 14which;

are loosely journaled on the tie-rod 5 and are engaged by the springs13, which tend to force them toward the platen. The loose connectionbetween the spring pressed arms and the shaft 9 not only enables therollcarrying frame to conform itself to the curvature of the platen soas to set both series of rolls evenly against the platen, but alsodistributes the spring-pressure about 15 equally to both series ofrolls. The shaft 9 is a distributer shaft through which the pressure isdistributed to the rolls.

The roll frame may beprovided midway of its length with a cross-brace 812,

firmly connecting the shafts 7, 9 and 11, to strengthen the roll-frameand insure that themiddle rolls shall press firmly against the platen.The roll frame is detachably .fitted in the supporting arms 14 to admitof its removal .with the rolls from the platen, when desired, the mainshaft 9 being cradled in yokes 14 on the ,arms 14, from which it canreadily be detached, together with the remainder of the roll frame.

0 By the depression of a release key 15, a link 16 turns a shaft 17 onwhich are formed flats or cams'18 to engage releasing arms 19 rigidlyconnected with or formed upon the spring pressed roll frame supporting.arms

- 5 14. By means of these flats or cams, the

arms 14 are turned on the rod 5 against the tension of the springs 13,and the roll-carrying frame and rolls are dropped from the platen. Whenthe rolls return, and should one set strike the 'platen in advance ofthe other, the fulcrum thus afi'orded would enable the .roll carryingframe to swing up until both sets of rolls press evenly against theplaten. v. I v 45. The tension of each. spring 13 may be regulated by agear 20 and worm 21, whereby the general roll-pressure at either end ofthe roll-frame may be readily regulated in-;

dependently of the other end.

A yielding paper deflector 22 lies beneath theplaten, its front portionbeing hinged to the forward roll shaft'at 23. The springs 13 serve tohold the deflector in place, the engagement or bearin ofthe front edgeof the deflector a ainst t e platen enabling the springs to hol up therear edge of the deflector also. The forward port-ion of the deflectoris apertured, as at 24, to permit the forward rolls to engage theplaten. The

rear edge of the deflector may be recessed. as at 25, for the rearrolls. I

In the cast-off positions of the rolls, the parts vassume the positionsshown in Fig. 3, the rear ends of the levers 8 drop ing down,

5 and the forward edge of the eflector 22 coming against the face oftheplaten. There is thus formed a wide gap between the rear edge of thedeflector and the platen, so as to facilitate the introduction of thepaper. When the presser rolls are set against the platen', it will beseen that the levers 8, 12 operate as equalizer bars, so as todistribute the pressure between the front and rear rolls; and attentionis called to the fact that the pressure .upon the deflector is exertedat a single pivotal point, so that the deflector can shift on its pivotpoint and adaptitself to the face of the paper on the platen.

Variations may be resorted to withinthe scope of the invention, andportions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, the com- 35 bination with a platen frameand a platen therein, of a rod fixed in said frame, two levers pivotedabout midway of their length on a shaft on swinging arms journaled onsaidfixed rod, shafts loosely connecting the 9 ends of said levers, feedrolls for said platen on said shafts, and springs on said fixed rod andmoving said swinging shaft to press said rolls against said platen.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen frame and aplaten therein, of a rod. fixed in said frame, rock arms journaled onsaid rod, a distributer shaft resting on said rock arms and removabletherefrom by lifting, a spring urgingeach rock arm against the platen,and feed rolls supported by said distributer shaft.

.3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen frame and aplaten therein, of a rod fixed in said frame, rock arms journaled onsaid rod, a distributer shaft resting on said rock'arms andremovabletherefrom by lifting, a spring for each arm encircling said rodand having adjustable tensioning means, and feed rolls sup- 11 ported bysaid distributer shaft.

4. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen frame, a platenmounted thereon, a roll-frame mounted in said platen frame, feed rollscarried by said roll-frame and engaging the surface of the platen on thefront and rear sides thereof, said rollframe comprising a swivelingshaft disposed between said rolls, the ends of the roll-frame beingmounted for independent swiveling' movement on the shaft, separate meansfor resiliently pressing each end of said shaft upwardly to apply saidfeed rolls to said platen, means for withdrawing said shaft so as tocast off the feed rolls, and a curved deflector conforming to thecurvature of said platen, and supported on said rollframe on a singleaxis of rotation.

5. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen frame, a platenmounted thereon, a roll-frame disposed under said plat-en, feed' rollscarried by said roll-frame to contact vwith the surface of the platen atits forward and rear sides, said roll-frame comprising pressuredistributing levers connectingsaid forward and rear feed rolls, rockarms in which the roll-frame is seated,

- means engaging said roclr arms forforcing thereon, a roll-framedisposed under said platen, forward feed rolls mounted on saidroll-frame, rear feed rolls mounted on said roll-frame, said roll-framecomprising pressure distributing levers connecting said forward and rearfeed rolls, rock arms in which the roll-frame is seated and from whichthe roll-frame is removable, means to apply pressure to said levers toforce said rollframe toward said platen, a curved deflector plateconforming to thecurvature of said platen, and a pivotal attachmentconnecting attachment and platen being the only supports for saiddeflector plate.

7. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a platen frame, a platenmounted thereon, a distributer shaft disposed longitudinally under saidplaten, levers having for- Wardly extending arms and rear'wardlyextending arms pivoted on said shaft, roll shafts loosely mounted intheen'ds of said arms, each roll-shaft extending in opposite directionsfrom the middle of the platen, feed rolls carried by said shafts,separate coil springs tending to'force each end of said distributershaft upwardly, a'f'shaft on which said springs are mounted, rock armsloosely mounted on said last-named shaft and forming means to transmitthe tension of said springs to the distributer shaft, and means forcausing said dist-ributer shaft to be depressed to cast off said feedrolls.

JOHN C. MoLAUGI-HJIN.

Witnesses:

K. FRANKFORT, RALPH S.

